Rückschläge

Ana Aslan

During the 50's, Rumania was relatively cut off from the Western world, because of the Cold War. Little information about the work of the Institute reached the world. Sick people, diagnosed by their doctors as incurable, wanted to get to know Ana Aslan's methods. Treatment with Procain seemed their last hope for the lessening or even healing of their age-related complaints. In England, for example, public pressure became so huge that the British “Medical Society for the Care of the Elderly” were forced to invite Prof Ana Aslan.

On the 18th November, the 62 year old arrived, youthfully vital as always, in London. Her energy and vitality were observed with surprise by those visiting Gerontologist who had come to see her out of curiosity. Day and night there was a stream of patients seeking help in her hotel room. During official functions, she was treated in a typical British way: polite, but distant. It was obvious that certain journalistic and medical circles were filled with doubt and animosity under the surface.

Two years before, on 3 September 1956, during her first appearance in a western country, during the Therapy Congress in Karlsruhe, she had bitter experiences. Her thoughts on delaying ageing or even death by treatment with Procain considered as dubious to say the least, at this renowned congress. She was laughed at as a quack and called blasphemous. They demanded far more extensive studies as proof of success of the treatment than she could demonstrate at the time. Especially the delegates insisted on the so-called double-blind studies and other abstract scientific processes and disregarded Ana Aslan's years of experience in direct contact with her patients. Was it the old rejection, was it the arrogance toward her country of origin, or was it simple envy? Not to be recognised in Karlsruhe was very hurtful to her. In London, however, she had already learnt how to handle adversity. In spite of her icy reception from the experts, and the great strain of seeing hundreds of patients, Ana Aslan remained brave and stayed quiet and sensitive until the last case.

She was convinced of the accuracy of her therapies. “I know that I am right! Procain therapy is the key to fighting age-related illnesses. One day all Medics will recognise that. There will always be people who make new discoveries and prove and defend them, and other who refuse to accept and attack these new procedures which often bring change with them. Unfortunately, the doctors who refuse to accept my methods of treatment are those people who do not know the therapy at all, and do not have the competence to apply it or even to judge it.”